New Age of Spider-Man
by John Milan
Summary: Peter Parker has come to the "Big Apple" with his best friend Harry Osborn for the summer. Little does Peter know that this simple vacation will change his life forever.
1. Welcome to the Big Apple Part 1

**New Age of**

**Spider-Man**

**The Big Apple Part 1**

* * *

><p><strong>Jumeirah Essex House, New York City<strong>

Peter's eyes darted around the immaculate lobby. While the extravagance was a bit of a shock it wasn't entirely unsuspected; he was after all traveling with Norman Osborn. Norman was the father of Peter's best friend Harry and had a net worth of somewhere north of a billion dollars. Norman was in New York City overseeing the recent establishment of several new offices and laboratories in his company's pharmaceutical division. Harry had been forced to make the trip with his father in order to "get a feel for the business world" was how Norman had put it. Thankfully in order to make the trip less dull Norman permitted Harry to invite a friend, and he chose his best friend Peter Parker. Not only would he make the trip more entertaining, Peter totally geeked out over anything science related so the idea of getting an opportunity to see the kind of high tech labs ran by Norman's company was too good to pass up.

"Harry I'm going to be honest," Peter said to his friend while still marveling over the lobby. "This place might be just a wee bit nicer than where I'm used to staying when I travel, but just a wee bit."

"Pete it's just the lobby," Harry smirked. He really enjoyed moments like this.

Unlike most wealthy kids Harry hadn't always enjoyed the perks of money. When he was born his family was dirt poor, but around the time Harry was three Norman ditched his meager job as a lab tech and got a better paying one with Stromm industries. It was one of those big money evil corporations according to Norman, but he was desperate and he had a lot of mouths to feed. Stromm industries were run by a former college professor of Norman's, Dr. Mendel Stromm. Because of their relationship Norman quickly rose through the ranks and the fact that his experiments made the company millions didn't hurt his ascension either. By the time Harry was eight his family was living fairly well, and that was when Dr. Stromm mad a few bad decisions that cost the company millions. The investors voted Stromm out and assigned Norman the position as the new CEO. In a short time Norman pulled some strings, and along with a significant investment he managed to convince the board to change the name of the company from Stromm Industries to Oscorp. Ever since then Harry and his family had enjoyed unimaginable wealth, but it came at a price. Harry's mother was unhappy with the amount of time Norman dedicated to his work and filed for divorce. Harry's siblings went to live with her while Harry stayed with his father; Norman feared that the woman would make his son weak.

"Yeah, a lobby I could fit my entire house in." Peter whistled then looked over at the woman who approached as quickly as her expensive heels would let her.

"Mr. Osborn, I have spoken with the building manager and your penthouse suite is ready and completely furnished to your specifications." The young woman spoke as she handed Norman a card key.

"Thank you very much Felicia." Norman smiled as he gently took the card from his assistant. "I trust they have also set up your apartment in a timely fashion."

"Yes sir, and if you don't mind I would like to retire for the night. We have an early morning ahead of us tomorrow." She smiled back at Norman, Peter thought there was something more in that smile, but he did have a habit of thinking that there was something more to everything, which on occasion had caused him to drive himself nuts.

"You may go Miss Hardy." At Norman's dismiss she turned and walked to a nearby elevator. "Come on boys lets go take a look at our temporary home."

Peter followed Norman and Harry over to a grander looking elevator all the while keeping his eyes on Felicia. Her naturally wavy blonde hair was pulled up in a bun, the blouse she wore had a few buttons at the top left open giving the slightest glimpse of her bra and the black pencil skirt she wore definitely gave her a naughty secretary look that drove a fifteen year old Peter Parker's hormones crazy.

"Boys lets go." Norman said. Apparently Harry had also been distracted by Felicia as neither them took notice of the elevator doors sliding open.

While Peter had been amazed by the lobby he was completely blown away by the penthouse. It was easily as impressive, if not more, than Norman's mansion, which Peter had frequently visited. Even Harry looked impressed.

"This is wow." Peter marveled for a moment then set his sights on the couch. He leapt over the back and landed comfortably on the cushions. Laid out in front of him was a glass coffee table clearly of designer fashion, and mounted on the wall across from that was a ninety inch flat screen television.

"Even bigger than the one back home." Harry took a seat next to Peter. He reached over and picked up an Xbox 360 controller seated on the table. "Up for some Cod?"

"You know it." Peter enthusiastically grabbed the second controller.

"Glad to see you're settling in." Norma leaned against the couch and glanced down at the two boys. "I had your things placed in your room. I figure you boys would want to share one, that way maybe some of that brain of yours Peter will rub off on Harry. Well you guys have fun. I need to go get ready for a business dinner."

As soon as Norman was out of the room Harry paused the game. "Can you believe him?"

"What?" Peter raised an eyebrow at Harry.

"No offense Pete, but that be more like Peter comment. Agh, that gets on my nerves." Harry's shoulders slumped as he let the controller slide from his hands.

"Look, Har." Peter waved his hands around as he looked for the words to help his friend. "Parents do that, you know. They all have this thing that they want us to be, like a second chance for themselves. Sometimes they lose sight of what we can do and only focus on what we can't, but trust me Harry your dad thinks you're great. He just—look at his shoes. You have a lot to live up to, so he is going to be hard on you." Peter put a hand against his forehead. "I suck at this."

Harry slumped down further and looked away.

"It's like my uncle Ben always tells me. Everyone has a thing that they can do, and they owe it to the world to do that thing. I think that is what your dad wants from you. Just do your best." Peter looked at Harry hopefully thinking that maybe he had pepped his friend up.

"Pete." Harry brought his eyes up to meet Peter's. "Do you believe any of that?"

Peter paused, and while he had tendency to over think things, he never really dove into his Uncle Ben's philosophy. For years he took it at face value.

"All that stuff about your dad actually not being disappointed in you? Of course, but as for that other crap. I think if you can do something great you owe to yourself to get what you can for yourself because everyone else is doing the same thing." Peter was able to tell that this bit of truth brought Harry out of his funk. "I mean that's what your dad learned and look at him now."

"Yeah I guess you're right." Harry picked his controller back up. "Let's play. This time I will beat you."

Felicia looked in the mirror and knew she would never get her makeup right. When she arrived at her apartment she fully planned on turning in early, but the note she found waiting had other plans. It was from her Employer Norman Osborn, and he wanted to have dinner with her. It wasn't an absolute shock, her and Norman have been on and off ever since she first interned at Stromm Industries. She liked to believe that their little romp hadn't had an effect on Osborn's marriage and she was probably right. Norman was a man who was only out for himself. He would have driven his wife away at some point. It was just odd that for years their relationship had been casual, and this was the first time he ever wanted to have an actual dinner with her. Maybe that was why it seemed like her makeup would never be perfect.

"This is going to have to do." Felicia got away from her desk and got dressed; she might as well make sure her outfit was looking its best since her makeup wouldn't be.

Just as she finished latching her necklace there was a pounding at the door by the fist of an impatient man. As Felicia opened the door she felt Norman's eyes scanning her hungrily; her little black dress had brought many a man to their knees, but Norman was steady. He knew what he wanted.

"I'm glad to see that you found my note." Norman's tone was firm, rather devoid of emotion. Felicia had grown use to his manner.

"Dinner with my boss is something I would never miss." Felecia returned the gaze he gave her when she had answered the door. For a man in his forties Norman had an exceptional build, reminiscent of an Olympic athlete. "And dessert may be just a wee bit more fun."

"You think your dad is out of the building yet?" Peter called from the kitchen with a mouth full of roast beef sandwich.

"I don't know. Why?" Harry called back still seated on the couch playing Xbox 360.

"Well," Peter paused to swallow the last bit of food. "That is some good meat."

"It should be its kobe."

"Really," Peter reached back into the refrigerator and eyed the package in which he had found the meat. "Never thought I would get to try it. Definitely a fan." Peter tossed the meat back in the fridge and headed for the living room. "Anyway with your dad gone, we are free to check out the city."

"Um, bad idea." Harry looked up at Peter, the expression on his face saying that he thought his friend had lost it. "My dad would be totally pissed if we ran around the city at night. This place is dangerous."

"Harry it's not that bad. We are in the rich part of town plus, I just want to check out one place." Peter took a seat next to Harry. "I want to see where the X-men took down Magneto."

"If you're talking about that secret war crap that happened like a month ago, if you have seen the news or read anything you would know that the government stepped in and took down those mutant terrorists." Harry had dropped interest in his game and gave his full focus to convincing Peter that it was a bad idea to go to a mutant warzone. "They probably have sentinels crawling all over the place with all that had happened there."

"Harry, I know you don't believe that propaganda, and sentinels wouldn't be around if the mutants aren't." Peter looked at Harry with bright eyes. "This is history happening right now. Not now now, but come on. We have to see it."

"We can go when there is light out. When we won't get robbed or murdered." Harry threw his hands in the air.

"We can't get near it during the day." Peter argued. "I saw when we were driving into the city. The whole area is liked sectioned off, and it won't be as guarded at night."

"You're not going to give up on this are you?" Harry sighed.

"Nope." Peter smirked.

"Fine."

* * *

><p><strong>Ground X, Site of Secret War Final Battle, New York City<strong>

"See I told you this place would be barely guarded." Peter had trouble keeping his voice down to a whisper as he peered through the blackness at the location of an authentic superhero battle.

"Too many for me." Harry's voice was so low Peter barely heard him.

"Alright, on three we make our move." Peter explained as he hunkered down into a sprinting position.

"But-"

"1."

"This is-"

"2."

"Why do I let-"

"3." At that Peter was off with a start; he dashed down an alley and slid under the yellow police tape that surrounded the area.

A few yards ahead the pavement ended in a wide crater that was about ten feet deep. Upon reaching the edge Peter wasted little time and dropped over the side. A few seconds later Harry followed noticeably out of breath. With all the adrenaline and excitement Peter hadn't noticed how winded the run had made him. All around them was the remnants of a harsh battle. Some of the debris had been cleared away, but much remained: pieces of buildings, and personal items that somehow found their way into the crater.

"There, we saw your mess. Can we go now?" Harry did his best to grab the oxygen he needed to form words.

"Come on we need to check this place out." Peter pushed away from the side of the crater and began to carefully wind his way through the wreckage with Harry reluctantly trailing behind. "You know Harry, all of this destruction was primarily Magneto's doing. Could you imagine just one little new gene in your dna sequence and you would have the power to do this."

"You sound like you want to be a super villain." Harry nonchalantly commented as his eyes scanned the shadows feeling like anything could be watching them.

"To be honest I think it would be pretty cool to be a super villain, but I think my conscious would tear me apart." As Peter admired the area he did his best to imagine how the fight had gone down.

He had spent countless hours online researching everything there was to know about the Secret War. It was all very hush hush about why the battle had taken place. Some claimed there was an artifact of great power discovered beneath New York and Magneto wanted for himself, but the X-men showed up to stop him. In his mind Peter could see Magneto tearing up pieces of the city to use as projectiles, hurling them at Cyclops and the others. It was easy to imagine how the arrival of wolverine changed the tide of the battle.

"Stop." Harry's hand was on Peter's shoulder and he clasped his hand over Peter's mouth. "Listen."

Peter put his daydream on hold and did as his friend instructed. There was the faint sound of footsteps that quickly died out. He raised an eyebrow at Harry.

"I think someone is following us," Harry whispered then pulled his hand away from Peter's mouth.

"Maybe security?" Peter looked behind them, but could make nothing out in the darkness. "Let's go, I've seen enough. I'm good."

He began to lead Harry to the side of the crater, but took care not to head back the way they had come in order to avoid whoever it was that was stalking them. The boys used all their willpower to keep their pace steady, but fear was creeping into their minds and they began to move faster. Their footsteps pounded against the ground loudly as they rushed towards safety.

A dark figure stepped into their path. Peter skidded to a halt. Harry stopped before he crashed into Peter. Behind the frighten boys arrived two more darkened figures.

"I told you this was a bad idea." Harry murmured.

"Uh, hi." Peter waved.

* * *

><p><strong>Per Se, New York City<strong>

Norman rapped his knuckles against the table; he hated to be kept waiting. Across the table Felicia shifted uneasily. This experience was new to both of them, but he couldn't help but smile at the fact that she had no idea why he had truly asked her there. He had the upper hand, and that is exactly how he liked it.

"I had hoped I could wait until after we ate to do this, however I grow impatient." Norman reached into his pocket and retrieved a small velvet ring box and placed it on the table in front of Felicia.

"Norman I—" Felicia put her hand against her chest and took a deep breath.

"Yes it is what it looks like, but please allow me to explain." Norman opened the box giving Felecia a look at what he surely believed was the largest diamond the girl had ever seen. "This is a proposal, but don't be mistaken my dear I do not have feelings for you. You have been a wonderful assistant and a very entertaining distraction, but I now need you for a new job. Ever since my divorce from my wife I have lost some favor in the company. There are a number of hypocrites on the board who cheat on their wives on a regular basis, but have lost faith in me because of my marital discord."

"I don't understand." Felicia grabbed her glass of wine and drained it.

"I need a wife to make me appear more appealing, and I would like to promote you that position. Trust me it pays very well." Norman lifted his own glass and drank it more slowly.

"Exactly how well?" Felicia bit her lower lip. Norman knew he had her hooked.

**To be continued...**


	2. Welcome to the Big Apple Part 2

**New Age of**

**Spider-Man**

**The Big Apple Part 2**

* * *

><p><strong>Ground X, Site of Secret War Final Battle, New York City<strong>

"Uh, hi." Peter offered a small wave to the dark figures that surrounded him and his best friend Harry.

"I think these guys might be tweaking," suggested the dark figure before them. In a moment it stepped forward, revealing itself to be a young man with a dark complexion who was about the same age as Peter and Harry. "You guys can call me Rand, if you'll remember it."

"I doubt they are on anything Rand." The second figure stepped forward who was another young man, this one decked out in goth attire and had a slight accent that Peter couldn't place. "I think they are just scared."

"Even though I hate to agree with anyone who dresses like that, he's right." Peter admitted; he wasn't one to cover up his emotions. Most times he didn't care what others thought of him.

"A guy who admits he's afraid," the third figure commented stepping forward. She was a rather lovely Chinese girl that for a moment had Peter's jaw dropping. "That you don't see often."

"I wasn't really that afraid." Peter did care however about looking like a weakling in front of a pretty girl. "Mostly it was my friend here telling me that we were being chased by thugs, but I can see now that he was very wrong." Peter looked the girl up and down and had to admit he liked what he saw, despite her urban style of dress.

"So do you brave boys have names?" The girl asked.

"Let me apologize." Peter took a slight bow. "I am being rude. A gentleman should ask the name of a lady when they first meet, but since you already requested my name I will honor you with an answer. I am Peter Parker and this is my friend Harry Osborn."

"Since when are you a gentleman?" Harry had an amused look on his face.

"Okay, Peter." The girl did not seem nearly as amused as Harry did. "I'm Gwen Stacy, the guy in all black Michael Morbius, and Rand Roberstson there already introduced himself, but I also don't think you guys remembered that."

"Cool, nice to meet you all." Harry said a little awkwardly. Peter did his best to cover up his social issues, but Harry was never good at covering up the fact that he was just terrible at meeting new people.

"Wait Osborn?" Michael set his sights on Harry. "Not the same Osborn as in Norman Osborn? No way you're related, right?"

"Actually he's my dad." Harry admitted sheepishly.

Michael's jaw nearly fell off. "Holy shit!" His shout nearly caused everyone to jump out of their skins.

"Michael," Gwen hissed. "Have you forgotten that we are not supposed to be out here? We need to go. It was interesting running into you two."

"Wait, Gwen." Michael managed to pick his jaw up but it was evident on his face that he was still star struck. "This is Norman Osborn's son."

"Even more reason for us and them to get out of here." Rand stepped next to Michael. "I mean I'm sure his dad would kill him if he got caught out here and you can be damn sure my dad would kill me if he knew I was out here."

"Fine." Michael looked at Gwen then back at Harry. "There is this arcade we hang out it's not too far from here. Tomorrow around two, you will be there?"

"Uh," Harry took a step back from Michael a bead of sweat forming on his brow.

"We'll be there." Peter pushed past Harry so that he was standing between him and Michael.

"Great we will see you then." At that Michael and his friends went to leave.

"All of you will be there right?" Peter called after them.

"Yes," Gwen mouthed the word while giving Peter a stare that would melt his skin.

* * *

><p><strong>Jumeirah Essex House, Norman Osborn's Penthouse New York City<strong>

"Harry! Harry!" Peter jumped up and down on Harry's bed providing the quickest way of evacuating him from his slumber. "Get up!"

"Pete come on," Harry moaned as he yanked his blankets hard pulling them out from under Peter's feet.

When the blankets came up Peter slipped and rolled through the air backwards landing gently on his feet. For a moment he pondered why he hadn't landed flat on his face, but he just chalked it up as a freak accident.

"Harry we are going to be late." Peter tried to pull the blankets away from his comatose friend. "Get up."

"I wouldn't be so tired right now if you hadn't had me running around the city all night," Harry groaned and rolled over. "Why are you so eager to have me go have a guy with a weird accent harass me?"

"What makes you think I'm eager?" Peter threw the currents open allowing sunlight to flood the room.

The new light allowed Harry to see that there was an outfit set out for him on his dresser.

"Really?" He squinted at Peter. "What's with the clothes?"

"Can't I be genuinely thankful that you my best friend, would be generous enough to offer me a trip to New York for free?" Peter took a step back gasping.

"This is about that girl." Harry sat up in bed rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"What girl? There was a girl?" Peter spoke quickly.

"Yeah, Gwen." Harry tossed his blankets aside and climbed out of bed. "You do this all the time, and its bad. Like me, you are awkward and bumbling, but unlike me you don't know when to shut your mouth."

"Hold on a sec." Peter jabbed his finger at Harry's face. "I am neither awkward nor bumbling, and my mouth stays open the perfect amount of time."

"Yeah. How about Tandy Bowen?"

"What about her?" Peter's voice shook slightly as he diverted his eyes.

"As I recall you sure were smooth with that one." Harry had a grin that went from ear to ear.

"I was, and she would have totally fallen for me if she wasn't dating Tyrone." Satisfied with his own lie Peter moved past Harry and to the bedroom door. "We don't have time to reminisce over past loves. Get dressed; we need to go meet our entourage. Oh, and I almost forgot, your dad left a message saying that he would be busy today making arrangements."

* * *

><p><strong>Oscorp Lab S6, New York City<strong>

Norman looked over the pudgy balding man who was the head of Oscorp's top secret science division. Dr. Otto Octavius was in his late forties, and had lived with his mother until she died a year ago; the event had left him with some abandonment issues. For the past two hours Otto had been going over the more technical aspects of the experiments that were being conducted at Norman's newest lab. Norman was proud of what was being accomplished there; he was in possession of technology that rivaled anything Tony Stark had, and he felt that he was ahead in the field of genetically enhanced humans. Ever since the advent of Captain America every country on the planet had been secretly searching for the next great super soldier, and while no one had replicated the success that was Captain America a number had gotten close. Norman knew his company was on the verge of success. It was clear that whoever owned the super soldiers would own the world.

"You have shown me some impressive things today Dr. Octavius." Norman was sincere in his praise; he even considered offering Otto a promotion if his program panned out.

"Your words are too kind sir." Otto gave a slight bow.

"Really Otto you don't have to suck up. You have genuinely impressed me. If you can keep up the good work then you will have an even brighter future with this company. Though, I bet even Mendel would kill to have the position you currently occupy." Norman gave his colleague an appraising pat on the back then offered his attention to Felicia who was impatiently tapping her foot. "One moment my dear. Otto, I was planning on making an announcement at the end of the week, however since you are privy to some of the most confidential information here at Oscorp I suppose I can trust you with one more secret. Felicia and I are to be married."

"Congratulations sir." Otto grabbed up Norman's hand and shook it briskly.

"Thank you Otto. I assure you that you will be receiving an invite, but I must take my leave, my young bride grows impatient." Norman went over to Felicia and put his arm around her.

"We were supposed to meet with the wedding planner an hour ago," Felicia complained, which was something she had never done before her recent promotion. Norman was amused by how quickly she was settling into her new role.

* * *

><p><strong>Plaza Arcade, New York<strong>

The arcade had been easy enough to find, and to Peter's excitement Gwen was there along with Michael and Rand. Peter and Rand spent most of the afternoon playing House of the Dead while Gwen watched honestly interested, which only fueled Peter to try harder, but Rand continued to outperform him; a complete disappointment for Peter, because he figured a girl like Gwen would be into a guy who was an awesome gamer.

While the others played Michael bombarded Harry with questions about his father, and Harry spoke honestly. As time went on Michael seemed to lose his admiration for Norman Osborn, realizing how much he put work ahead of his family. Through their conversation Harry learned that Michael and the others were at Ground X because Rand had a complete obsession with super heroes like Peter did, and went out there every so often to search for artifacts from the battle. He had never found anything special, but he had managed to accumulate a collection of junk which he convinced himself was of importance.

* * *

><p><strong>Bernie's Pizza, Hell's Kitchen, New York<strong>

Gwen had led them to her favorite pizza place where they took a seat at her usual table. They had taken a bus to rather downgraded part of New York that made Peter a little nervous. The streets weren't as crowded as other areas, and what people there were reminded him of the kind uncle Ben would have told him to stay away from. Uncle Ben was always a little over concerned, but Peter felt his advice would probably be of value in his current situation.

"At the risk of sounding like a tourist, I have to ask where are we?" Peter uttered the question to no one in particular.

"Hell's Kitchen," Gwen answered before taking a sip of her drink.

"You don't say." Peter looked out the front window and noticed a few odd characters approaching. He didn't know what made him think that they were odd, but there was something; a weird tingling on the back of his neck.

"It really isn't as bad as they say," Gwen continued. "There is just enough crime for a few urban legends to spring up. Rumors have it that there is a devil who stalks the kitchen at night seeking to punish those who have sinned."

"Gwen likes to put a dark spin on things," Rand interrupted. "Dare Devil is a vigilante who is at war with the Kingpin."

The two guys who Peter was keeping his eye on had now entered the restaurant; the conversation continued around him but his focus was on the men.

"Not this again. Rand had been obsessed with Dare Devil and the kingpin until the whole mutant stuff," Michael explained. "It was all he used to talk about."

"Yeah and I think we should all be concerned." Rand's voice got higher. "My connection down at the Daily Bugle tells me that all of New York's crime is controlled by one man, and Dare Devil is the only one willing to stand against him."

Peter watched as the two men began to argue with the cashier, while the tingling on the back of his neck turned into a powerful buzz.

"Your connection, right." Gwen playfully tossed a straw wrapper at Rand.

"Peter what's wrong?" Harry asked.

The whole group looked at Peter seeing that his face displayed an intense look and his hands were tightly pressed to the table.

"Something isn't right," Peter breathed hard.

One of the men pulled out a gun and fired two rounds into the cashier's chest. Everyone in the vicinity dropped to the floor except for Peter. He wanted to move, but his hands were stuck to the table. The men immediately fled without even sparing a passing glance at the witnesses. As they left the buzzing in Peter's head dissipated, and the room began to spin. His head fell to the table; the world went black.

When Peter awoke there was a paramedic leaning over him. His eyes moved around, he saw Harry standing nearby with Felicia, Rand was standing with a man dressed in a button down shirt and dress slacks, Gwen was arguing with an Asian Police captain who seemed to share similar facial features, and Michael sat alone on the sidewalk looking unpleasant.

When the paramedic finally decided that Peter was healthy enough to leave, he, Harry, and Felicia left in the limo Norman had sent. On the ride back to the penthouse Felicia recited to the boys a lecture that had been prepared by Norman; it was not a new experience for Harry, he had grown used to having his father's employees carry out discipline.

Peter paid little attention to anything said by Felicia, his head was still fuzzy, and he was distraught by what had happened.

* * *

><p><strong>Jumeirah Essex House, Norman Osborn's Penthouse New York City<strong>

As soon as they reached the Penthouse Peter went straight to bed as did Harry, but Harry's motivation was to avoid his father.

Felicia waited around after the boys went to bed for Norman to return from an impromptu meeting he was called to attend. She went into the master bedroom where earlier she had moved some of her things to. It had been a long day and she was in the mood for a shower. Casually she unzipped her suitcase and at the top was a picture frame housing a photo of a handsome older gentleman. Felicia picked up the photo and sat down on the bed.

"I'm working on it dad." She ran her fingers across the frame then tossed it back in her suitcase and retrieved her robe.

After a long relaxing shower Felicia collapsed onto the couch and turned on the TV. It wasn't long before she was asleep. She wasn't sure what time it was, but she was suddenly awoken by a door slamming. Norman stomped across the living room, his tie was undone and his hair was ruffled.

"Norman?" Felicia called out. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Norman shouted, red flared in his eyes then soon passed.

He fell to his knees breathing hard. Felicia watched closely, there seemed to be tears on the edge of his eyes. She ran to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"I will figure this out," Norman murmured. "Harry, Peter, did you tell them what they needed to hear?"

"Yes." Felicia laid her head against his shoulders.

"I do not want either of them anywhere near Hell's Kitchen, and tomorrow… I think I will take them with me tomorrow. I have a meeting with Dr. Connors at ESU. They should find that interesting. Yes." Norman was mumbling so Felicia held him tighter.

* * *

><p><strong>Bedroom, Jumeirah Essex House, Norman Osborn's Penthouse New York City<strong>

Something had awoken Peter, but he wasn't sure what. Across the room Harry was snoring loudly. Peter's mind drifted back to the event at the Pizza parlor; it wasn't the shooting that hung on his mind it was the way his body reacted to it. It was like he was preparing for it, like he knew something bad was going to happen. Then there were his hands, which he had been unable to pull away from gotten the table.

Squinting against the darkness Peter looked his hands over, and didn't notice anything different. Suddenly his memory flared up; before coming to New York he had noticed some changes about himself. He had gotten better at basketball, and he had left his glasses at home because he hadn't needed to use them in a few weeks. Then when they snuck out last night he outran Harry by a lot, and Harry used to be the faster of the two. He had chalked it all up to growing older, and his body was changing, but he knew that becoming a man didn't magically make you a good athlete or fix your vision. He focused on his hand again, for a moment he thought about trying to climb the wall, but then he realized how dumb that sounded. Another glance at his hand and Peter noticed a thick white string at the base of his wrist. He tried to brush it away, but it was stuck. He pulled on it and his wrist tingled. It seemed like the string just kept getting longer. Peter looked closer and realized the string was coming from him.

"Oh man," Peter gulped.

To be continued…

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

I would like to start off by thanking everyone who has taken the time to read these first two chapters. Feel free to leave reviews and comments; I really enjoy hearing how people feel about my stories. Now onto my future plans. It is my desire to update this story at least twice a month. Expect future updates to occur on Saturdays. If anyone has any questions feel free to send them my way and I will answer them in future "Author's Notes". Without giving too much away I feel that some of the reviewers will be pleased with what's in store for Peter in upcoming chapters.


	3. Welcome to the Big Apple Part 3

**New Age of**

**Spider-Man**

**The Big Apple Part 3**

* * *

><p><strong>Antabelli's, One of the many restaurants owned by Wilson Fisk, New York City<strong>

"What is this about?" Norman's nostrils flared, but he kept his voice even. He watched the pig of a man across from him shovel another fork full of spaghetti into his mouth.

"Please Norman. We are both men of business, and you are more than aware of my reputation." The large bald man slurped a long noodle before flashing a saucy smile.

"I've heard that you rather dislike being referred to as Kingpin." Norman unclenched his fists in an attempt to clear the tension that had taken hold of him, letting his anger get the best of him would be a mistake.

"I find the moniker that I have been provided with childish, but make no mistake; I am in control of this city." Kingpin wiped the sauce from his face and sat his fork aside. "When men like yourself desire to do business in this city it would be wise to offer me a tribute."

"Fisk, I will not be muscled." Norman began to slide his chair out.

"Please do not mistake for a common thug. This is a simple matter, all you must do is offer me a portion of your stocks in Oscorp and you will have a promising career while here in New York, but if you do not I can not ensure your safety or that of your son." Kingpin leaned forward with his elbows on the table showing Norman that he was the larger man.

"If you—" The ringing of Norman's cellphone stopped him from uttering a phrase that would have certainly caused more trouble for him. "One moment," he was fuming, but he kept his hand steady as he reached into his jacket pocket to retrieve his phone. "Hello."

"Dad!" Harry's voice was panicked. For a moment Norman's eyes went wide and he caught Fisk's gaze.

"What's wrong?" Norman kept his voice steady while his heart pounded against his rib cage.

"There was a shooting at this pizza place. I'm safe, but Peter is unconscious. He wasn't shot or anything. I think the chaos was too much for him," Harry frantically said.

"Hold tight, I will send someone to come get you." Norman looked away from Fisk; he didn't want to reveal the panic that was beginning to show on his face.

Norman hung up the phone and summoned his composure; he got to his feat and went to the door.

"I need to go."

"Not yet." Fisk got to his feet standing at over six feet tall only further lent to his intimidating stature. "There are some papers my lawyer has drawn up that I would like you to see. You may make a call to send someone to fetch your child, but if you would like for the safety to last you will stay a little longer."

"Fine." Norman's anger and fear were now evident. "I will step out for a moment to make a call."

After Norman was out of the room Kingpin's assistant approached him

"Sir how did you find Osborn's kid, and at such a perfect time?"

"I didn't." Fisk grabbed his glass from the table and took a sip. "And Osborn isn't fool enough to believe I did, but this incident will go to remind him how dangerous this city can be."

Fisk and his assistant laughed, there was nothing like the feeling of snatching control from a man who believed he was the one who always had control.

* * *

><p><strong>Jumeirah Essex House, Norman Osborn's Penthouse, New York City<strong>

By the time Norman began pounding on the door to wake the boys, Peter had gotten less than three hours of sleep, but he figure a small bout of insomnia was an average reaction to the fact that his body was changing in strange ways unrelated to puberty. He was faster, could sense danger, and was now producing some strange string from his body, and that was definitely something to worry about.

Peter and Harry reluctantly got ready and went out to the kitchen for breakfast. Waiting at the table was a surprise, Felicia was seated at the table and she looked like she had just woken up. Peter was too tired to pay her much notice, but Harry felt uneasy about her presence there. Both boys took their seats and Peter clumsily poured himself a bowel of cereal. Harry just watched Felicia until Norman arrived.

"I suppose you boys are wondering why Felicia is here so early this morning?" Norman asked, sounding more pleasant speaking about the subject than he did with anything else.

"Yeah." Harry blurted out and Peter just grunted.

"Well Harry, Peter, Felicia and I are engaged," Norman proudly announced.

Peter dropped his spoon and looked over at Harry who had turned pale. For a moment no one said anything

"I actually need to get ready to go meet with the wedding planner." Felicia broke the uneasy silence and excused herself.

Once she was out of earshot Norman took the seat she had been occupying and his face went hard.

"Not the response I had expected." His voice was sharp.

"Sorry Mr. Osborn." Peter spoke first. "I'm just tired. I had a rough night I think I'm coming down with something." He didn't bother mentioning that that something was turning into a freak. The enhanced speed was cool, but the head thing and the weird string he felt he could do without.

"That's understandable Peter, but Harry I am disappointed in you." The worst thing about Norman's statement was the sincerity of it. Anyone listening could easily believe that he meant the words with all his heart.

"I'm sorry dad. I was just shocked is all." Harry looked down at the table afflicted by an almost supernatural shame his father was casting at him.

"I plan to put this unpleasantness, as well as yesterdays behind us. You boys have come to New York to learn my business and that's what we are going to do today; you two will be accompanying me to ESU to meet with Dr. Curtis Connors." Norman tapped a spoon against the table as he waited for a response from Peter and Harry.

For a moment Peter forgot how tired he was. Dr. Connors was genius geneticist, and was Peter's inspiration for working hard in school.

"Seriously? I have read all of his papers."

"I knew you would be delighted Peter." Norman grinned.

Harry sighed, but no one noticed.

* * *

><p><strong>Empire State University Campus, New York City<strong>

ESU was buzzing with activity. As Norman led Peter and Harry across the campus Peter took the time to absorb everything around him. He felt extremely nerdy as he got a thrill imagining the subjects each student rushing off to study.

Peter was really looking forward to meeting Dr. Connors, not only was he an inspiration he might also have a clue as to what Peter was going through. The problem would be trying drop hints without revealing too much.

A female student wearing short shorts walked by distracting Peter for a moment, and he began to wonder if it was his hormones that were causing him to stare at every woman he encountered or if it was related to his other mutations. Maybe he was turning into something from one of those adult animes. It was a thought that frightened and made him sick to his stomach at the same time.

* * *

><p><strong>Doctor Connors' Laboratory, Empire State University Campus, New York City<strong>

Doctor Connors' lab was more impressive than Peter had imagined. For a moment he had forgotten about his mutations and marveled at all the latest tech and equipment. He knew he would definitely love to work in a place like it someday. The lab was run by Dr. Connors and his two assistants: a thin awkward looking guy name Basil Elks, and the lovely Deborah Whitman who could have passed for Felicia's dorky twin.

"So boys," Norman rubbed his hands together. "What do you think?"

"Eh," Harry began.

"Amazing!" Peter answered excitedly. "This place is amazing, and Dr. Connors it is such an honor."

"Always nice to meet a fan." Doctor Connors smiled as he took Peter's hand. Doctor Connors was almost a direct contradiction to Norman. While both men were clearly in their early forties the wrinkles that Doctor Connors sported were those caused by smiling and laughing, he was a man who enjoyed the work he did.

"I am more than a fan sir." Peter kept shaking Dr. Connors hand with an admiration that was making the man uncomfortable. "You are my inspiration."

"Wow Pete. I think this is why you have trouble with the ladies," Harry mumbled just loud enough for Peter to hear.

Peter just kept smiling pretending that he hadn't heard Harry.

"Then I suppose you would like to see what we are working on here." Dr. Connors signaled for Peter, Norman, and Harry to follow him. "I'm not sure if you have heard of the _Spider Goat_."

"You mean that silk producing goat that was developed at the University of Wyoming." Peter interrupted without really intending to.

"Yes, the researchers there isolated the spider silk gene and inserted it into a goat to alter its milk protein leading to production of silk. This was a more recent discovery; however scientists for years have been toying with the idea of infusing gene's from one animal into another. Well, take the spider for example, besides the ability to produce silk they also have many other skills that could be beneficial if inserted into another organism, such as their amazing agility, massive strength in comparasson to their size, and some spiders can even sense danger to a level that verges on precognitive." Curt offered his lecture with such deft of skill that made it clear that not only was he a talented researcher; he was also a master educator.

Peter froze. The weird changes he was going through seemed to be very spider like. Maybe he was a mutant who was slowly becoming a spider. If turning into an anime monster made Peter nauseous, his current train of thought put him on the verge of vomiting.

"You okay?" Harry noticed that the color had fled from Peter's face.

"Uh, yeah I'll be fine." Peter swallowed a big breath of air and tried to steady himself.

Doctor Connors stopped in front of a large terrarium containing an iguana.

"This here is Izzy." He tapped his fingers on the lid which caused Izzy to look up for a moment then go back to sleep. "What we are trying to do here is take Izzy's regenerative gene and apply that to humans. Currently we are running tests on mice."

"Pretty impressive huh boys." Norman stepped past Harry and Peter so that he could be face to face with the Doctor. "Now for a serious moment, I am sinking a lot of money into this little project of yours Curt I need to know if you still believe that this has profitable applications."

"I fully believe this project will revolutionize health care," It was clear that Connors was offended by Norman's approach. "I am not wasting your _time_," Connors hissed the last word.

"Harry, why don't you and Peter go see what the cafeteria has to offer," Norman glanced back at his son. "I will catch up with you two after I talk business."

* * *

><p><strong>Empire State University Campus, New York City<strong>

Once Harry and Peter were clear of the genetics building Peter managed to work up the courage to talk to Harry about what was on his mind.

"Harry?"

"Look Pete, if your going to say anything about me being grumpy, I'm sorry okay." Harry shook his head. "Its just my dad gets under my skin."

"Not to sound like a bad friend, but that's not what this is about." Peter felt like an ass, but he was on the verge of freaking out. "Do you think Doctor Connors is trustworthy?"

"How should I know?" There was some acid in Harry's voice.

"I know you have some problems with your dad Harry, and I get that it bothers you. Not to sound like a total jerk, but everyone has issues with their dads. I mean, mine abandoned me. Right now I have a major problem that goes way beyond dad stuff." Peter knew that he was possibly pushing some wrong buttons.

"What Pete? What is so god damn important!" Harry was starting to shout, the small vein in his forehead pulsed.

"You can't tell anyone." Peter's face took on the most serious appearance it had ever shown. "Promise me."

"Sure. Whatever." Harry quieted down, but he was still irritated.

"Harry really. I'm being completely serious here."

"Okay. I promise."

"Perhaps it's best if I show you." Peter signaled for Harry to follow him.

They weaved across campus until they found a place that seemed to be fairly out of sight. Peter leaned against the back wall of the art building and took a deep breath.

"I haven't tried this yet, but based on what I've done so far I think it will work." Peter kicked his shoes off and pressed his hands against the wall. He pulled back slightly after feeling a now familiar stickiness. Next he brought his right foot up and it easily adhered to the wall. He continued upward until he was about halfway between the roof and the ground.

"No way," Harry breathed.

"See," Peter said then focused on detaching himself from the wall. He fell and landed easily on his feet. "It's like what Dr. Connors was talking about, another animal with spider like abilities. That animal being me."

"Wait. Are you trying to tell me those guys in Wyoming experimented on you?" Harry was shocked by Peter's abilities, but he seemed to be having even more trouble grasping what Peter was getting at.

"No," Peter began to pace back and forth. "I mean I don't know. I would have remembered something like that, but I have never been a human guinea pig—I don't think. Maybe I'm a mutant. Maybe I should find the X-Men. See why I'm freaking out."

"I see how this could be a problem, and I don't think the X-Men are going to be very easy to find," Harry commented.

"Yeah that's why I was thinking about asking Dr. Connors."

"I wouldn't." Harry looked around. "My dad's a scientist remember, so I know that guys like him would just dissect you then try to figure out how to make a buck off of the leftovers. What you need is to maybe talk to someone else with powers. Get a firsthand account of how to handle this"

"How exactly am I going to find someone with powers?" Peter didn't hate Harry's idea but if the X-Men were in hiding who could he possibly turn to.

"What about that Daredevil thing the others were talking about?"

Peter tilted his head and thought for a moment, digesting the idea of trying to hunt a local urban legend.

"Lets say Dare Devil then. How am I going to find him?"

Harry smiled at Peter, and it was the kind of smile that could make his skin crawl.

**To be continued…**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

Well as it happens real life (and laziness) has a way of getting in the way. I have been working on some other more serious projects (editing my novel). Chapter four is underway, but as to when I will get around to posting it well…This is a story that has been living in my mind for many years, and I definitely plan on telling it to completion(however long that may take). There are also a few other ideas in the works to expand my New Age Marvel universe. Like always I love to read comments and reviews, plus I think it's awesome when people add this story to their story alerts and favorites.

**Additional Note:**

There may be some similarities to that of the recently released film The Amazing Spider-Man, which is pretty amazing. Don't worry any similarities are a coincidence, and the lizard won't be making an appearance in this story for a while, and my Dr. Connors still has both arms. Catch you next time true believers (that I did steal from Stan Lee).


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